Amphicarpaea bracteata (L.) Fern. var. comosa Fassett

Locations ofAmphicarpaea bracteata (L.) Fern. var. comosa Fassett in Virginia

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Detail

Family
Fabaceae
Botanical Name
Amphicarpaea bracteata (L.) Fern. var. comosa Fassett
Common Name
American Hog-peanut, Lowland Hog-peanut
Synonym(s)
Flora of Virginia Name/Status
Amphicarpaea bracteata (L.) Fern., in part
Comments
Two varieties of Amphicarpaea bracteata - var. bracteata and var. comosa Fassett - have been ascribed to our area. They can be very distinct in their extremes, but problematic plants with intermediate characters occur. Plants corresponding to var. bracteata have stems, petioles, and inflorescence axes with whitish strigose pubescence; relatively small leaf and petiole size; and relatively small, white to pale lilac flowers. Variety comosa has spreading or retrorse, tawny pubescence on stems, petioles, and inflorescence axis; relatively large leaf and petiole size; relatively large, purplish flowers, and a more western global distribution. While the molecular data does appear to support the distinction, in-state differences in habitat (if any) and geographic distribution between these taxa are currently unclear. Var. bracteata is clearly the most abundant of the two segregates, and varietal names have rarely been applied to Virginia herbarium specimens; but we do have confirmed specimes of var. comosa from 16 counties (mostly in northern and western Virginia), sufficent for the separate, provisional map provided here. Further study of these taxa in the field and herbaria is needed.
Habitat
Moist to damp, often alluvial, lowland forests, thickets, and borders. Status uncertain; apparently quite widely distributed in the state, but clearly much less abundant than the typical var. bracteata.
Native Status
Native

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